Neuquén wine country, with his 3,500 acres of relatively new vineyard land is a few hours by car east of the Andes. It is a wide-open Patagonian area fed by water diverted from several nearby rivers. Prior to the water corning to Neuquén, and by that we’re talking only ten years ago, there were no vineyards in Neuquén, just fruit orchards surrounded hy wind-breaking poplars (called chacras). That and the remains of dinosaurs who roamed the region millions of years ago. But today wine is big in Neuquén, with a wine route of sorts talking root in San Patricio del Chañar 130 minutes from the Neuquén airport. Here along Picada {Route) 15, you will find a handful of modern wineries that are welcoming the public, serving you regional food in progressive winery restaurants, and ranking high-end wines with character. Bodega NQN, Fin del Mundo, Valle Perdido and.Familia Schroeder are the pioneers and pacesetters in Neuquén.
Río Negro, which is part of Patagonia, sits quite a ways south, in the heart of Argentina’s orchard country. Tons upon tons of apples and pears are grown in this windy but sunny area located inland from Neuquén. While grapes have existed in low-elevation Río Negro for a hundred years or more, few wineries were ever able to brave the elements and make standout wines. But over the past decade that has changed with the arrival of a few motivated Europeans intent on making signature Malbec and Pinot Noir in Río Negro. And so far, given that only a few wineries are giving it a go in the Alto Valle section of Río Negro, the results from Fabre Montmayou, Noemia and a few others wineries have become more than encouraging, with some Río Negro Malbecs and Pinot Noirs having distinguished themselves among the best in all of Argentina
